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Not a company usually known for its audio prowess, Razer has released a pair of over-the-ear headphones for digital music players. The Pro Tone m250 headphones, while offering decent sound, suffer from noticeable brightness and an uncomfortable design that can become painful during long listening sessions.

As a company that typically specialises in gaming peripherals, we weren't expecting huge things from Razer on the audio front and, unfortunately, the m250 didn't surpass our expectations. Despite being advertised as having "deeply enhanced bass specifically engineered for digital players", we found the bass to be of poor quality. Very low frequencies were produced, but overall, the bass lacked proper detail as subtle frequencies weren't audible.

Furthermore, the bass was overshadowed by the rather bright mid-range and high-range frequencies. These also lacked detail and weren't well controlled, which gave them a very tinny sound. There was also a noticeable harshness in the high-range frequencies, which made listening somewhat unpleasant.

Instrumental separation and placement was quite good, with prominent distinction between different sections in the music, but this wasn't enough to make up for the overly bright and muddy sound. Audiophiles will be unimpressed by the overall sound quality of these headphones.

The m250's design was also displeasing. Each headphone has a fairly standard over-the-ear clip, which is quite a popular style these days. However, Razer has built it with moveable ear clips that snap into place once you put them on. In theory this helps keep them in place, but in practice it winds up putting unnecessary pressure on your ears, which quickly gets painful. A design such as that found on the Koss KSC-75 headphones, with simple rubber clips that slide easily behind the ears, is much more effective. It's hard to recommend headphones that can't be worn for long periods of time.

Aesthetically the m250 headphones have a metallic silver and white motif that makes them stand out from the crowd. The cable length that's provided by Razer is a little short. Tall people may struggle to wear these headphones properly with their music player located in their pants' pocket.

The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.

My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.

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